In the early 1800s Edward Smith brought his family to settle the edge of a fertile valley near a large spring, the site of the present-day county fairgrounds. William Henry Harrison, Governor of the Indiana Territory, often stopped to rest at their home while travelling to and from Vincennes. Harrison chanced on the spot where Big Indian Creek and Little Indian Creek join to become the Indian Creek. Tradition says he decided to build a town there and asked Edward Smith's daughter, Jenny, to name it. She chose the name Corydon from Harrison's favorite hymn, the Pastoral Elegy.[7]

Early history

See also: History of Indiana and Corydon Historic DistrictOld Capitol Building in downtown CorydonHarrison sold the town site to Harvey Heth in 1808, a government surveyor and large landowner. The official founding date of 1808 commemorates when Heth platted the town. Heth donated the town square for public use, and sold individual lots to settlers and the territorial government.[7] In 1809 Corydon was connected by road to Doup's Ferry, fifteen miles (24 km) to the south in Mauck's Port, providing access to the Ohio River for trade. Corydon sent a mounted militia company nicknamed the Yellow Jackets to support the territorial army in the War of 1812. They fought in the Battle of Tippecanoe, suffering higher casualties than any other unit engaged on there.

In 1811 Dennis Pennington began construction on the first state capitol, with the intent of using it as an assembly building for the territorial legislature. Pennington, a Corydon resident, was the speaker of the territorial legislature. Corydon was competing with Madison and Jeffersonville to become the new capital of the territory. Construction, using limestone from a nearby quarry, was built starting in 1811 and was completed in 1815.[8] The Governor's Mansion and First State Office Building were built in 1817. The home of Colonel Thomas Posey was also built during this time. Colonel Posey was the son of Thomas Posey, Governor of Indiana Territory from 1813 until 1816. The Grand Masonic Lodge, the first in the state, was built in 1819. Corydon became the second capital of the Indiana Territory on May 1, 1813, when it was moved there from Vincennes to be more centralized with the population of the newly reorganized Indiana Territory.[7]

The state's first constitution was drawn up in Corydon during June 1816. The forty-three delegates representing Indiana Territory's counties were charged with the writing of the state's constitution and met inside the Harrison County Courthouse. Because of cramped conditions inside the courthouse and the summer heat, the delegates often sought refuge outside under a giant elm tree next to Big Indian Creek. This tree is now known as the Constitution Elm, and its trunk is still preserved.[9] The preamble of the constitution began:

We the Representatives of the people of the Territory of Indiana, in Convention met, at Corydon, on Monday the tenth day of June in the year of our Lord eighteen hundred and sixteen,...

Dennis Pennington and other representatives from Harrison County in the Indiana General Assembly resisted attempts to move the capital from Corydon; they succeeded in part by adding a clause to the state constitution during the convention preventing the capital from leaving the town before 1825. Ultimately, as the population center of the state shifted northward, it was no longer convenient to have the state capital at the southern extremity of the state. The capital was finally moved to Indianapolis on January 10, 1825.

There were 1,341 households of which 26.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 35.6% were married couples living together, 11.9% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.9% had a male householder with no wife present, and 46.6% were non-families. 41.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 20.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.14 and the average family size was 2.88.

The median age in the town was 40.8 years. 20.5% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.7% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 24.9% were from 25 to 44; 22.4% were from 45 to 64; and 23.4% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 45.6% male and 54.4% female.

Old Capital Building in downtown Corydon, Indiana

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Only real estate professionals who are members of the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® may call themselves REALTORS®. All REALTORS® must subscribe to NAR’s strict Code of Ethics, which is based on honesty, professionalism and the protection of the public.